Luthuli House, the home of the African National Congress incentral Johannesburg, was upbeat with festivities on Friday as theparty celebrated the 54th anniversary of the Freedom Charter.

However, these festivities excluded President Jacob Zuma, whoquietly, accompanied by his daughter, Duduzile, exited the buildingshortly before people gathered in the 11th floor boardroom ofLuthuli House.

People at the reception of the ANC offices, who had come toattend the party were suddenly ordered aside by security shortlyafter entering the building.

They were unaware of what was happening until Zuma and hisentourage alighted from a lift and the President greeted them witha friendly grin as he walked past them headed for the exit on SauerStreet.

It was only after Zuma had walked out of the building that mostof the people broke into excited whispering among themselves thatthey had seen the President.

The event was to have been attended by ANC chairman BalekaMbete, who was also billed to cut the four piece cake decorated inthe party's colours, but she too did not attend.

Instead the 13 guests of honour, political veterans whowitnessed the launch of the Freedom Charter, were accompanied byANC deputy secretary general Thandi Modise.

The only other surprise guest was former National IntelligenceAgency boss Billy Masetlha, who along with Modise openly admittedthat they were not there when the Freedom Charter was launched.

On opening proceedings earlier, programme director MdumiseniNtuli instructed journalists not to ask questions and keep them tothemselves because it was not an event to do so.

It was not long after Ntuli's utterances that disgruntledJohannesburg emergency workers arrived with sounds of vuvuzelasoutside.

The sounds of vuvuzelas and struggle songs went on throughoutModise's address as she told guests that the occasion was tocommemorate struggle icons who fought for the Freedom Charter.

The workers, who were in a small group, briefly protestedoutside Luthuli House holding placards that read "Zuma recall [Citymayor] Masondo", under the watchful eye of metro police offices.

The workers' placards also threatened that if their boss, DrAudrey Gule, did not resign, they would remove her themselves.

Meanwhile, inside Luthuli House, one of the veterans, MuziMoola, told guests that the Freedom Charter was launched 54 yearsago after a 32-year-old campaign to get all races in South Africato speak in one voice.

"It was a campaign many took part in and the Freedom Charter wasa culmination of those 32 years of campaigning.

"It was on June 26 that the Freedom Charter declared that SouthAfrica belonged to all, and the people shall govern," he said.

Modise sealed the festivities by partnering with Moola to cutone of the four pieces of the cake and the guests of honour puttheir elderly frailties aside to enjoy slices of cake andchampagne.

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